xymnovel Chapter 114 Finding a Needle in a Haystack! Searching for the Greek Lightning!
Chapter 114 Finding a Needle in a Haystack! Searching for the Greek Lightning!
The royal study was completely silent.
The newly approved "Army Modernization Reform Plan" lay quietly on Constantine's desk, the ink still wet, symbolizing a war without gunpowder that ended in his complete victory.
However, Constantine's gaze lingered on the document for only a moment.
His gaze had already fallen on a brand new blank sheet of paper in front of him.
Military reforms are merely giving a hungry lion sharp claws.
But without strong muscles and surging blood, even the sharpest claws and teeth are just for show.
The muscles of a nation are its factories, railways, and mines.
Blood is the source of power that drives all of this.
It still has to be electricity.
In Constantine's mind, a vague memory that had been buried by the dust of history for a long time began to become clear.
He remembered that in that time and space, there was a near-obsessive Greek genius who was obsessed with capturing "lightning" in the sky. His ideas were ahead of his time, but he was impoverished in his homeland because no one understood him. In the end, he went to a foreign land and contributed his wisdom, which was enough to change the world, to the New World.
We must never let such a tragedy happen again!
"Alexandros".
Constantine didn't look up, but called out softly.
In the shadows of the study, a figure appeared silently—his first attendant, Alexandros Dimitriopoulos.
"Your Highness." Alexandros bowed, his voice always so steady, revealing no emotion.
"I need you to find someone." Constantine put down his pen.
"Please give your instructions."
"He's an oddball, or rather, in other people's eyes, he's a madman."
Constantine organized his thoughts, trying to sift through his somewhat faded memories for any useful information.
"I don't know his exact name or where he lives."
Alexandros's eyebrows twitched, but he remained silent, waiting for what was to come.
This wasn't the first time he'd done something like searching for a needle in a haystack with His Highness.
"He must have been very young, in his early twenties. He was a physics enthusiast, yes, that's the word. He had an almost obsessive fascination with lightning and invisible radio waves."
"The old-school professors at the University of Athens all considered him a heretic, a joke about trying to put Zeus's thunderbolts into a bottle."
After Constantine finished speaking, he looked at his most trusted subordinate.
"Find him, as quickly as possible, at any cost. I have a feeling he might... be leaving Greece soon."
Alexandros's heart skipped a beat.
It's another premonition.
Every "premonition" His Highness had was like a divine revelation. From initial skepticism to later unwavering belief, Alexandros had developed a kind of muscle memory for it.
If His Highness says it exists, then it must exist.
If His Highness says he's leaving, that person must have already packed his bags.
"Yes, Your Highness. I will do it immediately."
He didn't ask why, nor did he ask what to do after finding it.
As the most secretive weapon in the Crown Prince's hands, all he needs to know is "who to slash at".
After Alexandros left, the study fell silent once more.
Constantine leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
This time, even he himself was somewhat uncertain.
The butterfly's wings have already flapped, and he cannot accurately calculate how much the river of history has changed course.
Will that genius reappear as expected?
This "investment" is a high-stakes gamble.
If the gamble pays off, Greece's industrial revolution will directly gain a super engine that is ahead of its time.
I lost the bet...
No, we can't lose.
Alexandros's search was more difficult than he had imagined.
He changed into casual clothes and went first to the physics department of the University of Athens.
When he asked an elderly professor with gray hair if there was a young researcher who was obsessed with lightning and alternating current, he was met with undisguised contempt and ridicule.
"Oh, you mean that madman who dared to challenge God?"
The old professor adjusted his glasses and looked at Alexandros with an expression as if he were an idiot.
"He was kicked out long ago! His fallacies and heresies are a blasphemy against sacred science! We train rigorous scholars here, not daydreamers!"
Alexandros thanked him expressionlessly, then turned and left.
Over the next few days, he visited every café and salon in Athens where scholars might gather.
He pieced together a more concrete image from the words of those intellectuals.
"You mean that weirdo named Nicholas? I remember him! He always drew some incomprehensible scribbles on napkins, muttering things like 'wireless transmission' and 'earth resonance.' We all thought he was just drunk."
"Him? He's a pathetic wretch. I heard he sold everything of value in his house to do his experiments and is now drowning in debt."
"The last time I saw him, he was as thin as a bamboo pole, but his eyes shone with an unnerving light. He said he was going to the New World, where only the people would truly appreciate his talent."
More and more clues emerged, but they all pointed to a person who had already disappeared.
Alexandros felt as if he were chasing a ghost.
He reported to the Crown Prince every day, and all he ever received was the simple "Keep searching."
But he could sense that His Highness's patience was also running out.
Just when Alexandros was about to give up and prepare to dig up the entire city of Athens, a turning point appeared in an unexpected place.
In a small, old bookstore near the University of Athens.
After several days of continuous travel, Alexandros sat in a corner, drinking a cup of invigorating bitter coffee and sorting through the messy clues.
He overheard the bookstore owner chatting with a customer.
"What a pity, such good condition, all original books imported from Germany." The shopkeeper sighed as he sorted through a pile of old books he had just acquired.
"General Introduction to Electromagnetism, Principles of Wave Dynamics... Good heavens, these books aren't cheap. Which spendthrift sold off all their savings?" a customer asked curiously.
"A young man named Nicholas."
The boss's tone was full of regret.
"He's an eccentric, but his mind is absolutely brilliant. He says he wants to replace this 'dead knowledge' with 'living dreams'."
Alexandros's hand, holding the coffee cup, froze in mid-air.
Nicholas!
This name, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through the fog in his mind!
He pricked up his ears and even slowed his breathing.
"A dream of living? What is he going to do?" the customer pressed.
The bookstore owner lowered his voice: "He said Athens was too small to contain his ideas. He wanted to go to the New World, to America! He said he wanted to meet a man named Edison and compete with him!"
"This morning, he sold all his books to raise money for his trip, saying he was going to Piraeus to catch the afternoon ferry!"
"Bang!"
Alexandros suddenly stood up, knocking the chair he was sitting on to the ground with a loud thud.
The bookstore owner and customers were startled and stared at him in astonishment.
Alexandros rushed to the counter, grabbed the shopkeeper's arm, and for the first time, a flame ignited in his usually calm eyes.
"You mean Nicholas! He's going to Piraeus?!"
"Yes...yes..." The boss stammered, startled.
"Which ship?! When does it depart?!" Alexandros's voice carried an undeniable authority.
"It seems to be... the 'Athena Glory' going to New York, departing at 3 PM!"
Alexandros glanced at the clock on the wall.
2:10!
Less than an hour left!
Without saying a word, he took out a few silver coins from his pocket and slammed them heavily on the counter as compensation for the broken chair.
Then, he turned and rushed out of the bookstore like a cheetah hunting its prey.
He rushed into the street, stopped the first passing carriage, and, to the driver's horrified gaze, yanked him off his seat.
"Requisition!"
Alexandros flipped himself onto the carriage, grabbed the reins, and with all his might gave it a sharp shake!
"To Piraeus Port! As fast as possible!"
His voice echoed through the streets of Athens.
"This is the Crown Prince's order! If you delay, I'll take your head!"
The coachman slumped to the ground, watching the carriage speed away like a madman, unable to recover for a long time.
The wheels rolled and churned over the stone pavement, making a thunderous sound.
There was only one thought in A. Sandros's mind.
We absolutely have to make it!
for sure!
Your Highness does not want just one person.
That's the lightning of Greece's future!